The Fantastic Beasts series is back.
Since Deathly Hallows Part II marked the end of the Harry Potter film series in 2011, the Wizarding World franchise’s popularity has continued to go from strength to strength.
Warner Bros. has conjured up all sorts of new magical experiences over the past 13 years, including mobile games such as “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery” (2018) and “Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells” (2020) and video games like the open-world title “Hogwarts Legacy” (2023), and now, the all-new “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” (2024).
In 2016, the West End play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” reunited audiences with the Harry Potter timeline to find the Boy Who Lived 19 years older, picking up where Deathly Hallows‘ epilogue left off. A tie-in book was also released as part of the production.
Then there are the less narrative-driven experiences, from Warner Bros. Studio Tour London — The Making of Harry Potter, a treasure trove of magical movie-making remnants from the eight films which were shot here over a 10-year period, to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, the themed land comprised of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and home to attractions such as the motion-based dark ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the steel roller coaster Flight of the Hippogriff, and the 3D motion-based steel roller coaster Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
“Moving” Wizarding World attractions include Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, the fully realized woodland setting teeming with magical creatures that’s now headed to Washington DC, Austin, Texas, and Montauban in France, and Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, the immersive art installation that delighted guests in Brussels, Germany but will soon open in Singapore.
Fantastic Beasts‘ Success and Failure
There are many more Harry Potter experiences that span the last several years, but the one that rarely rolls off the tongue — and with good reason — is the Fantastic Beasts film series.
Fantastic Beasts got off to a very promising start when the first film was released in 2016. Based on the 2001 guide book of the same name by Harry Potter author JK Rowling while serving as a prequel to Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the franchise’s first spinoff, intended to be the first entry in a planned five-film series.
Starring Eddie Redmayne as Magizoologist Newt Scamander, who embarks on an adventure through a wintry 1920s New York City to recover all the magical creatures that have snuck out of his suitcase (which has a Magical Extension Charm, of course), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them offered fans the opportunity to see a different side to the Wizarding World (the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, to be precise).
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was met with rave reviews and grossed $814 million worldwide (against an estimated $175 — $200 million budget).
Anticipation for its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), was sky-high, despite being met with backlash for casting Johnny Depp as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, with the actor then facing domestic violence charges (although he first appeared at the end of the 2016 film).
The film grossed $654.9 million at the global box office (against its $200 million budget), making it a huge success. However, it failed to impress fans and critics, with many criticizing its convoluted plot and lack of direction.
The sequel was followed by more controversy surrounding Johnny Depp, who was later asked by Warner Bros. to resign following the verdict of the Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd court case.
Mads Mikkelsen was announced as Depp’s replacement in the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), which went on to gross $407.2 million over $200 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise.
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Sequel May Opt for Post-‘Cursed Child’ Era as One of Many Much-Needed Improvements
Will Fantastic Beasts 4 and 5 Happen?
In April 2022, Variety reported that Warner Bros. would only greenlight future installments in the Fantastic Beasts series subject to the commercial and critical performance of The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Last year, director David Yates, who helmed all three Fantastic Beasts films (and also Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part II), told NME that the spinoff series had been “parked” temporarily.
Newt Scamander actor Eddie Redmayne also told NME that, as far as he’s aware, a fourth film is “not something that’s on the cards.”
But now, while the future of the spinoff series remains unknown, Fantastic Beasts continues in a brand-new form, as two real-world experiences inspired by the films are sure to satiate the appetites of fans hungry for more from the world of Magizoology.
Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
This year’s Back to Hogwarts showcase revealed that Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature has moved to Asia, where you can currently visit the experience in Tapei. Previously, the exhibition was held at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London.
Here’s the official description for the exhibition from WizardingWorld.com:
Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature explores the links between the magical creatures of the wizarding world and the remarkable animals in our natural world, encouraging a greater connection to our planet and empowering us all to be advocates for its care. Be awed by the powerful combination of science, nature, and imagination as you explore fantastic beasts in all their forms and learn how these animals inspired some of the world’s most incredible stories and folklore.
Watch the original trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature below:
Ministry of Magic and 1920s Paris at Universal Epic Universe
If there’s one upcoming Wizarding World experience besides the Harry Potter TV series that has fans excited, it’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and Place Cachée, the wizarding pocket of Paris as seen in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, at the all-new Universal Epic Universe coming to Universal Studios Orlando.
“Step through the Celestial Park at Universal Orlando Resort and discover a new part of the wizarding world,” the Back to Hogwarts showcase announcement on WizardingWorld.com reads. “From the sophisticated streets of 1920s wizarding Paris to a new adventure at the Ministry of Magic, today’s showcase treated us to a fresh sneak-peek of the park’s upcoming extension — whetting our appetite for the full experience, slated to open 2025.”
For more information on these upcoming Wizarding World attractions, click here. In the meantime, watch the new Ministry of Magic teaser below:
Related: All 5 ‘Harry Potter’ Timelines Explained, Including the Reboot
“Hogwarts Legacy” Is a Fantastic Beasts Prequel
Until we know more about Fantastic Beasts 4 and 5, Potterheads looking to get their Fantastic Beasts fix can always rely on “Hogwarts Legacy,” which allows players to interact with several magical creatures during their Wizarding World adventures, with the ability to fly on the back of a Hippogriff or a Thestral.
Hogwart’s Room of Requirement also offers your very own secret “Beast Care Section” similar to Newt Scamander’s in the films.
Fantastic Beasts May Continue as a TV Series
Warner Bros. has said there may be more Wizarding World shows after the upcoming Harry Potter reboot on HBO and Max. Though we’ve no clue what those spinoffs would entail, one of them may serve as a small-screen continuation of the Fantastic Beasts films. With that said, the spinoffs would likely form part of the reboot’s continuity and not that of the films.
What are the Upcoming Projects in the Wizarding World?
There are many more Harry Potter experiences on the horizon in addition to all the above.
“Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions”
Per Warner Bros. Games, the brand-new online multiplayer video game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” features “iconic wizarding world locations, characters, and references that fans will love” while highlighting “the rush of flying across legendary arenas as either a Beater, Chaser, Keeper or Seeker in a variety of modes,” all the while “playing as — or against — iconic characters such as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and many other quintessential characters.”
The game was released on September 3 for PC Games, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.
The “LEGO Harry Potter Collection”
This year’s Back to Hogwarts showcase also revealed that the “LEGO Harry Potter” video games are being remastered for next-generation gaming platforms. The new collection will be released on October 8.
“Christmas at Hogwarts”
The upcoming children’s picture book “Christmas at Hogwarts” (2024) from Scholastic and Bloomsbury details the Boy Who Lived’s first Christmas within the magical castle walls, featuring text lifted from JK Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and artwork from Beijing-born illustrator Ziyi Gao. The book will be released on October 15.
Harry Potter Television Series
We don’t know much about the upcoming Harry Potter TV series besides some of the creatives involved (including JK Rowling as an executive producer), but we know it will be made up of seven seasons, each based on one of the books. There’s now also an official casting call for new actors to portray Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
According to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, the Harry Potter TV series is expected to premiere on HBO sometime in 2026.
Would you like to see the Fantastic Beasts film series continue? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!